But eXquire is something else, too: an artist of color who, in becoming successful, found himself performing for predominantly white audiences who seemed to like him only for his raunch and recklessness, while appearing largely indifferent to everything else he felt he had to offer. .. For better and for worse, he has come to the conclusion that his personality does not easily translate to any kind of marketable brand — at least not one with which he's comfortable.

I looked up the lyrics to the song that made him famous:

Straight shots of vodka, straight shots of vodka
Slamdance with white hens from Czechoslovakia
Bank like a mobster, cutlass impostor
Shoot a bati boy in 'im head like a rasta
What's my name bitch? (Mr eXquire)
Don't forget the muthafuckin, without that it's nothin
I bring the ruckus, these niggas suck dick
They rap like some fags with they ballsacks tucked in

I think he's got a problem, it's just not the one he thinks it is.posted by haqspan at 2:11 PM on June 23, 2014 [3 favorites]

"Huzzah" featured eXquire rapping about getting drunk on cheap liquor and having orgies ... "I'd be onstage and I'd feel like a parody," eXquire said recently ... "Like, I'm up here trying to say some shit!"

It's possible to have a one-off song about getting drunk on cheap liquor and having orgies, and still have an entirely different side to your personality and expression. I read this as a story about image-making, and about the current (white) indie-blogger climate and how it pigeonholes (black) rappers. Some good stuff to chew on here.

Danny Brown strikes me as another guy who has some really smart, complex things to say, but who's constantly in danger of being pigeonholed by fans and press and made out to be something he isn't. Maybe he's more comfortable with that dissonance than Exquire is, or maybe he's just not obvious about his discomfort.posted by naju at 3:48 PM on June 23, 2014 [3 favorites]

Like this is how GQ chose to write about Danny Brown, and it must've drove him up the wall - "Just as hip-hop is starting to feel a little top-heavy—a little, well, corporate-sponsored—here comes molly-popping, Carhartt-wearing Detroit party animal Danny Brown." There's a joke about him receiving oral sex onstage (which was on Mefi previously - it was arguably rape.) Some people only know how to approach rappers as if they were slotted into one category of human - party animal! Thoughtful backpacker! - without acknowledging that people are multifaceted and weird, and have lots of seemingly conflicted attitudes and thoughts.posted by naju at 3:58 PM on June 23, 2014 [3 favorites]

One of my first encounters with his stuff was his verse on Entourage. I wish he flowed like that on the regular, though his recent Whirlwind Pyramid Freestyle was enjoyable.posted by cashman at 4:44 PM on June 23, 2014

naju, Danny Brown is a good comparison. Write some raps about partying, they get play, and you're then That Crazy Party Rapper forever.

eXquire at least seemed to branch out before an identity crisis. Danny's Twitter meltdown a few months ago when he got off lean - ""I can't sleep my anxiety is at an all time high but don't none of y'all care about that shit .. Y'all just want me to be goofy" etc. had a lot of people worried for him.posted by Blue Meanie at 4:48 PM on June 23, 2014 [2 favorites]

My favorite verse of his is on The Last Huzzah:

Damn it feel good to see people up on it
Couple thousand views on Youtube a nigga still hungry
No food in my stomach and my pockets fucked up
Plus my mother still work so why should I give a fuck?
Fuck a blog, fuck a label, fuck a meeting, fuck an A&R
Fuck a co-sign, mothafucka fuck it allposted by gucci mane at 7:57 AM on June 24, 2014 [1 favorite]

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